At least 11 dead across Balkans as Greece's 30 inches of rain marks worst rain storm in country's history
Forecasters say some parts of Greece, already drenched with at least a year's worth of rain, could see 27.5 inches of rain through Wednesday because of Storm Daniel.
Deadly flooding in Greece
Parts of Greece received 25 inches of rain in just one day triggering deadly flooding.
VOLOS, Greece – Record-setting torrential rains have hit the Balkans, leading to catastrophic flooding and the deaths of at least 11 people across Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria.
Greece has taken the brunt of the storm, with some areas experiencing more than 2 feet of rain in just hours in what could become the worst rain event in Greece's history.
![A man rides a bicycle in a flooded road in the city of Volos, central Greece, on September 6, 2023.]()
Image 1 of 7A man rides a bicycle in a flooded road in the city of Volos, central Greece, on September 6, 2023. (SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP)
![A photo shows cars in a flooded road in the city of Volos, central Greece, on September 6, 2023.]()
Image 2 of 7A photo shows cars in a flooded road in the city of Volos, central Greece, on September 6, 2023. (SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP)
![Firefighters and civilian security personnel stand in a flooded street in the city of Volos, central Greece, on September 6, 2023.]()
Image 3 of 7Firefighters and civilian security personnel stand in a flooded street in the city of Volos, central Greece, on September 6, 2023. (SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP )
![A local resident walks in a flooded street in Volos, central Greece, on September 6, 2023. The regional capital Volos has seen about 8 inches of rain, according to the National Meteorological Service (EMY).]()
Image 4 of 7A local resident walks in a flooded street in Volos, central Greece, on September 6, 2023. The regional capital Volos has seen about 8 inches of rain, according to the National Meteorological Service (EMY). ( )
![A local resident walks in a flooded street in Volos, central Greece, on September 6, 2023. The regional capital Volos has seen about 8 inches of rain, according to the National Meteorological Service (EMY).]()
Image 5 of 7A local resident walks in a flooded street in Volos, central Greece, on September 6, 2023. The regional capital Volos has seen about 8 inches of rain, according to the National Meteorological Service (EMY). (SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP)
![This general view shows a car and houses in a flooded area in Volos on September 5, 2023. At least one person has died in eastern Greece after torrential rains hit the country, already ravaged for weeks by devastating wildfires, authorities said on Tuesday.]()
Image 6 of 7This general view shows a car and houses in a flooded area in Volos on September 5, 2023. At least one person has died in eastern Greece after torrential rains hit the country, already ravaged for weeks by devastating wildfires, authorities said on Tuesday. (EUROKINISSI / AFP)
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Image 7 of 7Damages at the city of Volos, Greece, after floods caused by the severe weather front Daniel, on September 5, 2023. (Nephele Nomikou / SOOC / SOOC via AFP))
Search and rescue efforts are still underway Wednesday as residents have been advised to stay home. More rain is expected in the area, leading to concerns of even worse flooding.
Forecasters say some parts of Greece, already drenched with at least a year's worth of rain, saw an additional two feet of rain on Wednesday because of Storm Daniel.
Watch: Bus swallowed by sinkhole amid catastrophic flooding in Greece
Historic flooding has been reported across central Greece after a powerful storm dropped more than 20 inches of rain in several locations in less than a day.
Rescues ongoing across central Greece amid historic flooding
According to reports, a farmer was killed when he was crushed by a wall that had collapsed under the immense pressure of rushing water while he was trying to reach his animals in the area of Ano Volos.
Watch: Torrential rain leads to devastating flooding in Greece
Devastating flooding has been reported across central Greece after a potent storm system dropped more than 20 inches of rain in some locations.
A search is also underway for a man who was swept away by raging floodwaters after he tried to cross a road in his car in Agia Aikaterini Volos. Reports said the unidentified man opened his car door and was swept away by the flood. His son was also in the vehicle at the time but was not injured, according to the report.
A car is seen trying to drive on a water-covered road in central Greece amid devastating flooding.
(Reuters)
The body of an 85-year-old woman was also recovered in the Paltsi area of Magnesia. Her body was recovered In the same area two men, aged 85 and 87, also went missing.
Landslides have also destroyed roads in bridges in Larissa and Skiathos.
Greek town gets nearly 30 inches of rain in 1 day
Over two feet of rain fell in areas of Greece in one day. The totals could be higher because the weather station stopped reporting when the power went out.
(FOX Weather)
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with government leaders Tuesday as Storm Daniel continued to dump unprecedented amounts of rain on the nation just as it was trying to recover from deadly wildfires that raged across the country earlier this summer.
The storm has already set a new all-time rainfall amount record. Zagora saw 29.68 inches of rain in a day, breaking the old record of 25.38 inches set in Paliki in September 2020.
Portaria also crossed 2 feet of rain in a day, while Volos pushed well over a foot and at last report reached past 15 inches before the weather station lost power.
Frustrated Greek mayor yells at drivers stranded in floodwaters
Watch: Greek mayor unleashes frustration with drivers on flooded roads
A local mayor in Greece couldn’t hide his frustration with drivers who decided to drive on flooded roadways despite warnings to stay home to stay safe. More than 20 inches of rain has fallen in some parts of Greece amid a powerful storm killing at least one person.
The heavy rains snarled traffic as roads turned to rivers, stranding drivers who ventured out in the storm. One town's mayor wasn't having it.
Volos Mayor Archilles Beos on Tuesday was seen in a video on Facebook yelling at drivers who were trying to drive over flood-covered roadways, despite warnings to stay home.
"Where are they going? It’s crazy what’s happening. We’ve said it a hundred times," he can be heard saying in the video translated by Storyful as thunder cracked in the background. "We have been telling you since yesterday, the rivers will break. Go to your homes."
Flood victims
Rescuers search for Istanbul's flood victims by boat
Rescue crews spent another night in boats evacuating anyone stranded by the flooding across the country. Divers search for anyone that did not make it.
Video shows rescuers on boats evacuating 157 people stranded by the flooding in Istanbul. Anadolu, Turkey's state news agency, reported that seven people died in the country, one was missing and 30 were injured.
Another two people died in Bulgaria.
An aerial view of the heavy equipment removing piles of logs and trees as teams carry out search and rescue efforts around and under the flood debris for the missing, in Igneada district of Kirklareli, Turkey.
(Ozgun Tiran/Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)
More rain in the forecast for the Balkans
Forecasters said the heavy rains and storms caused by Daniel will continue until Thursday, mainly in the central and southern mainland.
The area of Pelion, which has already seen destructive flooding, could see 25 to 27.5 inches of rain through Wednesday. A rain gauge there already reported more than 20 inches of rain had fallen since Sunday.
(FOX Weather)
Areas to the south of Karditsa prefecture could also see 21-23 inches of rain through the middle of the week.
In comparison, forecasters said the Athens area sees an average of nearly 16 inches of rain in an entire year. Storm Daniel has dropped more than that in about a day.
Rain and flooding isn’t the only danger being reported, either. Forecasters said they have reported more than 8,000 lightning strikes in a matter of hours as the storm raked the European nation.
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Information gathered for this story was translated via Google Translate.